Drews



UNITED STATES c PATENTN OFFICE.

Assrenons To fr.

OECIL ANDREWS.

ENG.maven-PLATE` PRINTiNe-PRESS.

Specification forming' part of Letters Patent No. 36,759., dated October 21, 186752.

' 7`o @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknowu that we, THoMA-s CnoIL AN- DREWS and JOHN SHINN, of Leverington, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Plate- Printing; and we do hereby declare that the following is a" full, clear, and exact description ofthe construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, of whichel Figure 1 is atop view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side view. Fig. 3 is a View of the endless railway, showing the switches, jaws, 'and a section of the chair. Fig. Liis a View of the stationary bed. Fig. 5 is an inverted section ofthe bed through fr as of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view of the plate-plank. Fig. 7 is an end view of the press. Fig. 8 8 are two views of the jaws or l the following full description is made, due `ref erence being made tothe drawings forming a part of this specification.

The machine complete and in working order is represented by the perspectiveview, Fig. l0. The motive power is applied to the drivingshaft S by the conepulley l?, or any `other equivalent mechanical arrangement. A considerable portion of thedriving-shaft is enlarged and forms the bottom press-roller, D. This driving-shaft rests in j ournal-boxes in the frame G, through which it passes, forming on the other outer extremity a shaft or axis for the toothed wheel D. The frame G, which, it will be seen, supports the whole machine, is firmly built and fastened together. At each end of the frame,`near the top,is seen a square recess or notch to receive the journal-boxes 7 and 8 for the shafts o and o". The function of these shafts and their connection will be eX- plained hereinafter.' An arm of the frame rises vertically over the journal-boxes of the driving-shaft, and has a slot in it for receiving the adjustable journal-box 9 for the shaft oi' the upper press-roller, D. Attached to the inner side of the frame and the vertical arm are two parallel plates with a projection from the middle vertical to the plane of the inner surface of the plates, and these plates and projections are connected at each end by semicircular planes and plates of similar construction, the whole forming what We term al continuous railway. (See C O, Figs. Zand 8.) The projection on the plate is interrupted or broken, as seen at n on Figs. 2 and 3, to admit the switches s s. These switches are connected with each other by the bar d, working on a central pin attached to the louter face of the plate C.

Letter A in Figs. l and 4. is a bed-plate rmly attached to the frame G, and has two arms projecting'forward, A A', or these arms may be independent of the bed-platc,extending under it as its support, as seen more distinctlyV in the inverted section, Fig. 5. Through this plate there are two or more pins, l 2, kept elevated to their proper position by springs. One of these springs-that is, the one which operates pin 1-can be moved by the lever b. There is but one of these pins, l, represented on the drawings; but in large machines two or more of themmay be used. Each of these pins has a Vfshaped notch or groove in the top, as seen at 2', Fig. 5. l

Letter B, Fig. 6, shows the engraved plate resting upon and attached to the plank-plate B. This plank-plate merely rests on the bedplate A; but it is heldin its position thereon for the time being by means of the two projections 3 and 4, which, being wedge-shaped,

fit accurately into the V-shaped notches in pins l and 2 of Figs. .4 and; 5. On each end of the plank-plate B are two or more V-shaped or conical notches, 5 and 6, to receive the teeth e e of the jaws or clamp. The construction of these jaws or clamps is shown in Fig. S. The lower jaw, a, is a horizontal bar to be attached to the endless chaine, as seen at the representationof the part in Fig. From the upper edge of this jaw there rises an arm, c, which fits into a slot in aside piece attached to thev upper jaw, a', and has at the top a small pin to prevent the upper jaw from being separated from the lower. On the lower surface of the upper jaw are two or more wedge-shaped or conical teeth fitting accurately the V -shaped notches 5 and 6 of Fig. 6. Projecting from the side piece of the upper jaw there is a pin, p, which, as it will be subject to much f'riction in the operation of the machine, should be furnished with afriction-roller or small wheel.

Letter B, Figs. 2 and 4, is a box containing the ink, inking-rollers w, x, and y, and the scraper and doctor M, the box itself resting 0n a platform attac-hed to the lower part of the frame G. rllhe doctor or scraper is attached `to a horizontal axis passing through the ink-box, and is regulated in its pressure by the adjustable ball or weight z. We propose also to give the scraper a slight horizontal motion, and therefore allow the axis some freedom in its play in that direction.

rllhe shaft 0 projects at each extremity beyond the frame G. On one of these extremities, as seen in Fig. 2, there is fastened a toothed wheel similar to that one on the same-end of the driving-shaft S. On these two toothed wheels there playspan endless chain, c', which connects the driving-shaft to the shaft o', and through it communicates motion to the rest of the moving parts of the press. On the other end of shaft o', outside of the frame G, there is a pulley,which is connected by a cord or band with another pulley on the shaft of the inking-roller w, and lthrough which the inking apparatus is put and kept in motion. Attached to shaft o at each extremity,

just inside of the railway C, there is a toothed wheel, similar to that one already described on the outer extremity of the shaft. On shaft o, at each extremity, just within the railway, there is attached a pulley,and over this toothed wheel and the pulley there is arranged an endless chain, c, one on each side, and to these chains are securely fixed the jaws or clamps. (See Fig. 3, where a portion of one of these chains is seen with the jaws or clamps attached thereto.)

Operation: The printer, standing at the end of thepress with the stationary bed immediately before him, places the plate-plank B', with its attached engraved plate B, thereon, taking care that the two projections 3 and 4 are in the notches of the pins l and 2. It is now supposed we are describing the operation with a new engraving not before used-that is, without any ink on its surface. It may be presumed the jaws are somewhere about the position shown on Fig. 3, but the pin p on the upper or outer edge of the projection on plate C. The machine being now put in motion, the endless chains carry these jaws around the track until the pin p, coming in contact with the sloping side of the upper switch, s, it follows this down through the passage u until it gets engaged under the central projection of the plate G. This changein position at the same time brings down the upperj aw, a', and sinks its teeth e e into the notches 5 and 6 in the plank-plate. The movement of the switch before the pin operates the lever b and draws down pin l, so as to allow the plate-plank and its attached plate, now seized by the jaws, to

be carried forward through the press-rollers i D and D', but the plate not being inked, no paper is applied, and of course no impression taken. The motion, however, continuing, the v plate is carried around the fartherend of the curved track, passes over the inking-rollers a: y, where it receives its ink. rlhence it passes over the upper edge of the doctor or scraper, which removes any surplus ink on the surface. Thence, continuing on, it passes up around the curved portion of the track just in front of the printer, and onward until the pin p again comes in contact with the switch s,- but in this case the contact is with the lower one, which, being then moved forward by the pressure of the pin upon it, necessarily draws the upper one backward, and thus opens a track for the pin to the upper edge of the projection on the plate C. This change in the position of the pin elevates the jaw a', and disengages its teeth from the notches 5 and 6 in the plank-plate, and, consequently, leaves this with its attached engraving quiet on the stationary bed A, where it undergoes the required wiping and polishing by hand. In the meantime the jaws continue to move on until they are again brought round to the switches, and this time the pin from its position, coming first in contact with the upper switch, s, drives it forward and opens the pas sage n downward, as is seen represented in Fig. 3. rIhe pin p, now descending under the projection on plate C, carries down the upper jaw, a', fixes the teeth e c in the notches 5 and 6 of the plank B', and at the same time draws down the pin l by acting 011 the lever b. The plate thus seized by thej aws is carried forward, the attendant placing the paper for the impression upon it as it passes, and going on it passes through the rolls D and D,to complete the operation of the printing. After this the plate,

as before, is carried over the inking-rolls and doctor, thence up to the stationary bed A, to repeat the operation, as before.

In our drawings and description we have spoken only of one'set of jaws as attached to the endless chains c c,- but in practical operation, and particularly with large presses, we propose two or more sets, as the case may require; and when the size of the plank may rcquire it we use two or more pins, 1.

The pin 2 is depressed by the plank as it rises l over it in its advaneeto the stationary bed A. It being desirable that the upper roller, D', should assume the same position after the plate shall have passed through that it had before it entered,we for this purpose control its movement by an elastic band attached at one end to some stationary part and the other to a pulley on the outer end of the axis of this roller. The action of the band will beto draw the rolldesiredpoint.

. therefore propose to construct the roller hoa certain time While the motive power contin the endless rails CG, constructed andfarranged er back to the position from whence it started with the plate. .l This pulley is seen at F, Fig. 7, and by means ofa pin, K, which comes inl contact with aicatch, l', weprevent the'roller frombeing turned by the spring beyond the The roller D', being covered with blanketing, absorbs thewater from the paper. We

low, and by admitting.stcam'therein keep the blanketing dry. v

Having thus fully described-ourinvcntion and its inode of operatiomwhat We claim there- 4 in, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is-` l. y Arrestiingthe motion of theplan'k vB for Substanti ally as set forth.

4, The combination ofthe pla-nk B', to whichl the engraved plate B is secured, with the jaws or clampsa a', constructed and operating substantially as described. l 5; Operating the pin l by the lever b, switches s s, and jaws a a as or at the time thelatter arc'closed by the switches s s, as set forth.

6. The combination of the conical or V,- shaped slots in pins l and 2, and the wedgeshaped pinsor lugs 3 and 4, with the plank B', as described, to'secur'ethe latter. accurately in position.

7. VThe combination of the' conical orV shaped slots 5 and 6 in the' plankB- with t the wedge-shapedpinsorteeth'e e in the jawsva'a,

for the purpose set forth. .Y f

8L The scraper M,' in combination with engraved plates arranged and operating as shoiymlfor the `purpose set forth.

JT. onoriJ ANDREWS'.

JOHN s HiNN.`

In presence of l i CHAs. E. LBRmnnRHoFF,

v Ugh-RAMSDELL 

